Gratitude: Pilgrim Style

“Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.”

-- Edward Sandford Martin

 *** When you think about it we have so much more than the pilgrims when they first celebrated Thanksgiving. But, what does “more” really mean? Indeed, today we live in a materialistic world; a world designed to make work easier and leisure time more enjoyable. Believe it or not, the pilgrims lived in a materialistic world too. However, the material things they possessed were used solely for survival and sustenance. For sure, life was not easy for the early settlers. They barely survived their first New England winter. It is estimated that half of the settlers died from starvation or scurvy. Yet, they were grateful for what they felt gave meaning to life: faith, family, friends,and hard work. In 1621, with the help of their Native American neighbors, the pilgrims celebrated their first “harvest home,” known to us as our “Thanksgiving.” In a letter to a friend in England,Colonist Edward Winslow wrote of the “harvest home” celebration. He concluded his letter with: 

"And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at the time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that, we often wish you partakers of our plenty." 

There is no question that we live in a world that no pilgrim could have ever imagined. We live in a world of full of abundant resources and unprecedented opportunity. Yet, far too often we take too many things for granted. Not so for the pilgrims; they knew that it was God that provided for them. Hence, it was God’s provisions that they were most grateful for. The pilgrims benefited from the law of gratefulness: Being grateful for something actually attracts more of what you are grateful for.

The pilgrims were grateful for their relationship with God. It was because of their gratefulness that their faith continued to grow despite the adversity they faced day in and day out. Their faith in God gave them hope; hope for a better tomorrow.
The pilgrims were grateful for their skills that helped them survive; courage, determination, perseverance and creativity. It was because of their gratefulness that they remained optimistic. Their optimism allowed them to develop and improve the skills that made survival and their way of life a little easier.

The pilgrims were grateful for their neighbors, the Native Americans. It was because of their gratefulness that they were able to develop a relationship with a group of people who taught them how to survive off the land.

The pilgrims were grateful for each other. It was because of their gratefulness that they were able to develop a community; a community that not only fostered survival, but fostered harmony and productivity too.

The pilgrims were also grateful for their freedom. It was because of their gratefulness that they toiled and fought diligently to retain what they held so precious; the right to be free.

So there you have it, a lesson from the pilgrims: If you want to experience more of something, you must be grateful for what you already have. If you want to experience more love in your life, you must be grateful for the love that you already have. If you want to experience more meaningful relationships, you must be grateful for the relationships that you have already formed. If you want to experience greater peace, you must be grateful for the peace that already exists. If you want to experience more success, you must be grateful for the successes that you have obtained thus far.

This Thanksgiving, I urge you to practice an “attitude of gratitude.” You can do this by taking some time to reflect on those things in your life that you are grateful for. Believe me; we all have many, many things to be thankful for Because, we all have been abundantly blessed by “the Goodness of God,” this exercise should take a little time. Next, commit to a no complaining day. Complaining is the opposite of being grateful. Just like being grateful, you’ll get more of what you complain about too. When you find yourself complaining (in thought or in word) about somebody or something, do the following: immediately stop complaining, say the word, “but,” and find something positive about the person or thing that you are complaining about. If you practice being grateful and eliminate the complaining in your life, you will find that you’ll get more of what you want and less of what you do not want.

Remember, if the pilgrims were able to survive and flourish in the 1600’s by practicing gratitude just think of what you can do today in the land of opportunity and plenty! Wishing you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD